The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1887-10-27
AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.
GParis Figaro.1

known that Mr.. Matthias was dead.
He was barely forty-fve years OF age
and was robust man, as straight as an
arrow. About three years before, he had
become the husband of a young girl Of
twenty, a niece of the tax collector, and
whom he had loved with frenzy.
OF course, once dead, Mr.. Matthias was
crt dited with having betn during bis life
| time the p'SsesSur 0t every Ylitue. 1t
would have gone hard with Inc ,fots " no
should have dared speak of him as having
been usurer or miser, as people termed
him while living.
No man would have dreamed of pub
| fishing anew the account of that celebrat-
ed marriage, which certainly did him
honor, and which would have brought
| back to mind the remembrance how all
had feared that tall, artful, aVaricious
| and rich man whom people supposed to
| occupy his spare moments in concoctlng
| poisonS with which he experimental on
dogs. 1t was no time to talk about that
| then. He was dead, Peace to his ashes!
| After all, in thinking the matter over,
was there anything SO very extraordinary
in this death? 1t was plain that Mr.. Ma
| thias had had forebodings of its approach,
| for had he not but short time before
sent to Paris for workmen to erect in the
cemetery the mortuary chapel that was
at that moment waiting to receive his
| mortal remains? Besides, it had been
| noticed that of late be had prowled about
| his house as if fearing mysterious rob-
| bers. He sequestered his wife and closed
| himself up for weeks at a time in his lab
oratory, the chimney of which seemed in
blaze every night. "All these were the
| premonitory symptoms of a brain trou-
| ble!" had said DR.. Labarre, who had de-
cided that death had resulted from apo
plexy.
Mr. Matthias had had Il splendid funer-
| al. One-third Of the population Of the
| town had followed his remains to the
graveyard, and it may even be said that
there were a few misty eyes when the
oaken coffin was lowered into the crypt
of the chapel, a real monument in itself
where two men of his size might have
slept at their ease.
| The mourners returned from the flu
neral wondering what the widow would
| do.
Now the truth of the matter is that
Mr.. Matthias was not dead.
Two hours after the ceremony any one
who might have been in the vault where
| the coffin rested would have certified to
| the truth of this statement. Two SHARP
clicks, like the snap of a spring, resound
ed, aud the coffin opened like closet
Mr.. Matthias sat up, stretching his limbs
like man just waking. Through a graf
ing in the ceiling little light entered
Mr.. Matthias stood up, slowly rubbing his
slightly benumbed knees.
Taking all in all, he felt comfortable
quite comfortable. The dose of the mar
cotic, which he had carefully measured
himself before taking, had had the ex
act effect he desired. People had sup
pused him dead and had buried him; Sc
much the better.
Since long while Mr.. Matthias ha(
made his preparations. The vault hat
been fitted up with great care. In il
were suitable clothing, food and few
bottles Of good wine. AS nothing stimu
lates the appetite more than funeral
even if it is ones own, Mr.. Matthias seateC
himself comfortably on his coffin, broke
his fast ard drank good luck to the fu
| ture.
1t is about time to say why, of his owl
free will, Mr.. Matthias was at that mo
ment six feet below the surface of tn,
ground.
AS usual, there was a woman mixed VI
in the matter. Unmoved by feminine
charms until the age of forty, Mr.. Math
las, formerly an apothecary who hat
made fortune with anti-spasm pills, fel
in love with pretty Anne Piedefer, the
niece of the tax gatherer at Lyre-sur-Y S
He had bluntly proposed to the young
girl, who had just as bluntly refused tC
become Mrs. Matthias, in consequence Of
| which he fell in love like fool. 1 beg
pardonl 1 should say like man of for
| ty, who permits himself to fall in love
| Not being of an over-honest nature, he
had wove such a subtle web about the
| tax gatherer, that, in less than years
time, knowing that the Governments
cash did not count up right, the unfortu-
nate man was seriously considering the
advisability of committing suicide. 1t
was this moment that Mr.. Matthias ap-
| peared in the guise of a savior, and made
his terms. The niece offered herself up
as q sacrifice to save an uncle who had
been father to her, although her affec-
tions were already pledged to a clerk in
the office of notary in a neighboring
town. As sad victim on the altar of
| duty, Anne became Nine. Matthias.
She soon felt all the consequences of
| the catastrophe. Mr.. Matthias, and per-
| haps he was not far wrong, was convinced
| that his wife hated him. From this con-
yiction to the belief that she was deceiv-
| ing him, there was but one step. Ever
tormented by this suspicion, he became a
monomaniac. His wife never put her
| foot out of doors, and nobody came to see
her. Still, Mr.. Matthias imagined that
| the reason he did not catch his wife
wrong-doing was on account of his awk-
wardness, and in his own mind he voted
himself an ass.
1t was then that bright idea struck
him. He would pretend that he was go
ing on a journey, not to versailles or Ha-
vre, as do comedy husbands, but on a
long, long journey, from which 1t would
seem very difficult for him to return.
And then some night he would come
back as much alive as ever, to the great
confusion of the guilty one.
He allowed himself three days time,
and he was quite pleased with himself as
he thought of all this, in stretching him
more. Mr.. Matthias was getting impa-
tient as the third day drew to close. He
waited until the cemetery clock struck
II, the hour he had chosen to begin oper-
ations.
His plans had all been well laid. The